Chapter 77: Hesitation

"My God, what did I just see?"

"Is-is that a bunt?!"

"What Bunt!? This is Black Magic!!"

The audience in the stands were discussing in surprise.

Although they had seen similar stunts on the computer before, witnessing Sawamura do this live left him utterly astonished.

"Bunt!!!"

At that moment, Owada Akiko couldn't care less about her image and shouted with excitement.

As expected of her favorite player, he was dependable in critical moments. Even though he wasn't on the pitcher's mound, Sawamura was contributing to the team in his own way.

'A bunt?'

Fujio Mine, next to Owada Akiko, frowned and glanced at his partner.

'Sawamura had done something similar before, which could be considered a bunt.'

'Although it was somewhat unconventional, it still involved bunt skills.'

'But just now...'

Fujio wasn't sure if Sawamura's last move counted as a bunt.

'That kind of hit, strictly speaking, couldn't really be classified as a bunt! '

'Even though Sawamura held the bat like a bunt, he clearly twisted his body to execute the swing.'

'Otherwise, relying solely on the ball's rebound wouldn't have sent it at such speed.'

'If that last hit was merely a coincidence, then Sawamura-kun's luck was impressive. If it wasn't a coincidence, this guy was too frightening.'

'With unparalleled talent, skills, and strength, plus the ability to pull off such moves...'

'Once such a person enters professional baseball!'

That kind of scene is so amazing that even Fujio couldn't dare to imagine it.

The members of the Demon King's Guard and the Brotherhood of Red Heartless Brothers didn't care what others thought.

For them, as long as Sawamura performed well, they were thrilled.

Right now, they were absolutely hyped.

"SO COOL!!!"

"INCREDIBLE!!!!"

"DEMON KING!!!!"

"SAWAMURAAAA!!!!!!"

Sawamura's hit, executed almost like a sneak attack, sent shockwaves throughout the entire field.

Seidou High School's previously sluggish momentum had transformed.

Every player was ambitious, looking forward to making a strong showing when it was their turn.

Coach Ochiai said the opposing pitcher was just a regular person, not an iron man. Furuya was exhausted, and so was he.

Even though Seidou High School's batters had only made one hit, under Superintendent Kataoka's strategic command, they had forced Hongou Masamune to throw many pitches.

So far, Hongou has thrown over 70 pitches.

This was a very interesting statistic, representing a pitcher's peak performance.

Hongou Masamune, no matter how monstrous he might be, his pitching power had definitely diminished compared to the beginning.

Though it might not be apparent in the strike zone yet, time would surely reveal it.

Destabilizing factors capable of changing the game's dynamics were bound to appear.

One Out, runner on second base!

Sawamura hit the ball behind the first base. The overall distance wasn't far into the outfiled, but the position was superb.

It was enough for him to reach second base.

"Fourth Batter, catcher, Miyuki-kun."

The players of Komadai were still reeling from Sawamura's earlier hit.

At this moment, the fourth batter from Seidou High School was already in the Batter's Box.

"This monster!"

After stepping into the Batter's Box, Miyuki Kazuya just happened to overhear Renji's assessment of Sawamura Eijun.

He couldn't help but laugh.

To the players in the Seidou High School baseball club, Hongou Masamune was the complete monster.

But similarly, in the eyes of the Komadai Fujimaki players,

Sawamura was also a monster.

Whether it was hitting or pitching, now this monster was firmly standing on second base.

As his Senpai, partner, and team captain,

Miyuki knew he had to perform at this moment.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have the dignity to look in his eyes.

He raised his bat high, his eyes coldly fixed on Hongou Masamune on the pitcher's mound.

At that moment, he imagined himself in the opponent's position.

Having just been outplayed by Sawamura, he faced an unprecedented surprise attack.

'What did Hongou and Renji want most right now?'

'Strikeouts!'

'If it were me, I would do it without hesitation

The reasoning is simple: compared to the runner on base, the atmosphere of the game is what matters most.

Seidou High School, which was on the brink of defeat, saw a glimmer of hope because of Sawamura's out-of-the-world play.

This was absolutely not allowed to continue.

At this moment, it was crucial for Hongou to fully unleash his pitching strength and secure a clean strikeout.

This was necessary not only for the present but even more so considering the future.

So far, Seidou High School has only recorded two effective hits.

This meant that as long as Hongou didn't allow any more hits in the coming innings, they would avoid facing Sawamura and Miyuki for the rest of the game.

In other words, they could end the game before reaching the core hitters.

Miyuki cast a deep look at Hongou, feeling utterly confident about the pitch he was about to face.

'It would be the winning shot Hongou Masamune was capable of delivering.'

'The Forkball!'

'The kind of pitch that suddenly drops just as it reaches the plate.'

'The kind that comes at a speed of 150 km/h and then sinks.'

Miyuki Kazuya's entire body trembled slightly.

He was calm inside, but his body was saturated with excitement.

He couldn't wait for that little ball to come flying in; he was determined to hit it out!

Roaar!!

Hongou didn't make Miyuki wait too long, the ball zoomed toward him.

'This…!'

The pitch had incredible momentum, resembling a fast straight ball.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Miyuki's mind.

This didn't seem to match what he had predicted.

'No, I can't hesitate now.'

'Regardless of whether this pitch was what I had imagined, I can't back down.'

'We had been cornered, and now it was a fight for survival!!'

Ping!

He aimed unceremoniously at the lower part of the baseball and swung the bat.

The bat connected solidly with the baseball, and a satisfied smile spread across Miyuki's face.

He succeeded!

The pitch was exactly as he had anticipated.

After the ball was hit, it soared to the outfield.

Sawamura, who had been on second base, suddenly moved like an aircraft taking off!

He zipped past third base and headed straight for home plate.

"Home plate!"

Renji's face turned grim.

He gestured for his teammates to throw the ball back.

The fielder of Komadai Fujimaki High School complied and sent the ball to home plate.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Almost at the same moment, the baseball landed in the Mitt, Sawamura's leg was on the plate.

"SAAFEE!!!!" The Umpire's voice was clearly excited while he was announcing!

"YEAAAHHHH!!!" Sawamura shouted bumping both of his fists to the sky with a very excited expression.

"YOSHAAAA!!!" Miyuki on the second base was excited and roaring.

"OOOHHHH!!!"

"MIYUKI!!!"

"CAPTAAIN!!"

"SAWAMURAA!"

In the dugout, the players were clearly thrilled and motivated!

They Scored!!

The advanced the lineup!

There is still hope!

They could win!

Seidou could still win!!

The total score changed from 2:0 to 2:1!

Sawamura smoothly returned to home plate, and after six innings of silence, Seidou High School finally scored.

…

T/N: That's it for now.

As always, Thank you all for reading!!

And I hope you all have a good day!

You also can check my Patre0n for extra Chapters.

https://www.patre0n.com/ColdColt

There are +130 Chapters there.